Aditya Chopra launches Saathi Card to provide health insurance, among other benefits for Bollywood's daily wage earners

Yash Raj Films has been at the forefront of providing aid towards the Hindi film industry’s daily wage earners. To sustain this beyond just a response to COVID-19, Aditya Chopra has launched Saathi Card, modelled on the lines of an internationally acclaimed policy concept - "universal basic support" under The Yash Chopra Foundation, to provide health insurance, school fee allowance, ration supply, annual health check ups among other benefits to the industry’s daily wage earners and their families. Anyone who is a registered member of the Hindi Film Federation in Mumbai, is 35 years of age or above and has at least one direct dependent, is eligible to apply for the Saathi Card at www.yashchoprafoundation.org. Card holders will be able to use it for healthcare including health insurance up to 2 lakhs, free annual check-ups and discount on medicine bills and treatment services. Registered individuals can also use the card to support their children’s education as YRF is providing an allowance for school fees, stationery and uniforms. They can also use the card to purchase ration supplies. The deadly coronavirus pandemic has plagued the entertainment industry since last year and the daily wage earners have been deeply affected. Recently, the biggest production house of India, Yash Raj Films launched ‘Yash Chopra Saathi Initiative’ to provide minimum basic support to thousands of the industry’s daily wage earners affected by the pandemic and initiated a direct benefit transfer of Rs 5000 to the women and senior citizens of the industry, as well as distributed Ration kits to a family of 4 for a specified period of time. Aditya Chopra also rolled out a plan to vaccinate thousands of workers of the Hindi film fraternity which helped shoots to restart in Mumbai. Last year, during the lockdown, Aditya Chopra also lent his support to thousands of daily wage earners of the film industry by crediting money directly into their bank accounts. Akshaye Widhani, Senior Vice President of YRF, says, "At Yash Raj Films we believe not just about reactively donating but it is rather a more strategic thought process and plan of action to create sustainable impact in the lives of our beneficiaries. The Saathi Card is our way of being there as a friend & support system to those who form the backbone of our industry. In times to come, we will expand the scope of this support to enhance the quality of life for those part of our community."